So, Eminem. M&M. Marshall Mathers. If you’re looking for a quick rap recap of the artist, here goes none. He sold over 110M albums and 169M singles worldwide. “Fans call him Slim Shady. His friends call him Jimmy. 8 Miles is where he came from. His mother was a junkie…” And the rest is him making it into music history. But since we’d rather leave the rapping for the legend himself, we’re here to talk about the Jordan Eminem collaboration. Which consisted mainly of the rapper’s takes on the Jordan 4 silhouette. In ULTRA limited stock! Shady’s got hold of the Jordans’ exteriors but the resale is the fattest thing from slim. The Jordan 4 Eminem Encore that was released in 2017 is prime proof. So stick around to know about the sneaker and Eminem’s partnership with resale giant StockX!
Jordan 4 OG Eminem Encore Pays Tribute
Before we get into the 2017 Encore Retro, we need to acknowledge the fact that it is a Retro. The Jordan 4 OG Eminem Encore which dropped in 2005 was a tribute to Eminem’s 2004 album “Encore”. Only 50 pairs were released to Friends & Family. But since “encore” means “repetition” by definition, the pair was silently cooking up a Retro for 12 years. So, how does the sequel to this super rare Jordan 4 link to StockX?
Jordan Eminem Goes the Mile With StockX
As you may know, StockX, the golden resale platform and “stock market of things”, launched in February 2016. Months later on June 9, it announced partnership with Eminem. Since the rapper’s personal passion for sneakers and hype rep would boost the growth of the platform. So, partnership gains for Eminem meant a promising investment for StockX. Em’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg even signed on it.
To honor their partnership and accelerate its potential as a live bid/ask marketplace, StockX presented the Jordan Eminem Carhartt as a grand prize giveaway on June 23 that year. Giants work pretty fast, don’t they? Pairs have sold for as much as $30K at the time. And their current average value stands at $10,200.
How Did Revival Beat Encore?
Eminem fan lingo but we’ll explain. So “Encore” dropped in 2004 and was followed by the Jordan Eminem 4 in 2005, right? Same release concept for the 2017 Retro but 12 years back to the future. It coincided with Em’s “Revival” album which dropped on December 15, 2017. And was made more limited than the OG at 23 pairs. That’s 27 pairs less! Other than the slightly lighter grey heel tabs and wings, the Retro’s got the true OG stamp on it. So, how did it explode the market? Easy. StockX took care of it considering it was the only platform to get hold of the sneaker.
A clear picture of partnership leeching took frame in 2017. Eligible donors were required to pay $10 for a chance to win their choice of nine products, all personal to Eminem. And among them was the Jordan Eminem Retro. Which is currently worth an average of $18K on StockX. But guess what. This time, StockX paid it forward. Since all net proceeds were forwarded to the Marshall Mathers foundation in support of the Detroit community. Classic homeboy attitude that calls for respect. Watch Eminem present it among other items to StockX in the video below.
Jordan Eminem, Rap It Up!
The Jordan Eminem collaboration is by far one of the golden sole mates in the sneaker industry. And the most expensive on resale. You can always join the industry without breaking the bank. But if you’re aiming for timeless Jordans, you need to build the extra mile and pay it up. Or hawk eye the market for fresh releases worth the hype. This collaboration’s a taste of how Jordan collaborations can change your life. Jordan Travis Scott and Jordan Off-White being top mentions in that respect.
Keep posted on our blog for our Thursday special on sneaker news!